Well, I think this is one of the, if not the most, strangest episodes of Lost in my memory. We learned more about Ben's true nature than we've ever seen before IMO. We saw more evidence of him being a pathological liar. It amazed me to hear all of the lies he spewed to so many people, whether it was about knowing John to Ceasar, or telling Sun he had no idea Locke would come back to life. I find it rather interesting that he has a soft spot for children, which is what ended up saving Penny's life. I don't get, though, why he stole Alex when his "mission" was to kill Danielle. I always figured the Others wanted her baby because it was successfully born on the Island, come to find out their leader at the time (Widmore) wanted to kill "it." I can't see how Widmore could ever really be a "good guy" now, he wanted to let young Ben die and wanted to kill an innocent baby, seems pretty cold and heartless to me. I don't understand at all why the Smoke Monster would let Ben live. He's the most selfish and conniving character we've seen on the show, and I don't believe his true motive for what he does is for the "good of the Island." The flashes of his life in the smoke were a little cheesy, but he was definitely tortured by the memory of Alex and how his selfishness led to her death. Whether it was her ghost or the spirit of the Island acting through her, I liked her confrontation of Ben's intentions, plus it was nice to see her character again (probably the only other human Ben's ever really loved). Her message proves Locke's importance to the Island, which I found fulfilling in a way since John has been let down by everyone and everything he ever cared about in his past life. It's good to know his belief that he belongs there isn't unfounded.
4 comments:
The over-aggression of the new-losties over on the smaller island is what intrigues me. It seems that there really is some sort of sickness on the Island. Maybe our central characters were prevented from being infected because they had some part to play in the designs of the Island.
As far as Ben being spared by the Smoke-Monster, there seems to be some other set of "rules" that the Island itself enforces that perhaps does not harmonize with what we would recognize as good morals. Ben had ordered or arranged the death of many people, but he said he needed to be judged for the death of his daughter. Yet, he told Widmore that he had violated the "rules" by killing his daughter. I think it was because he spared Penny that he was able to be spared on the island, but its just a guess.
I enjoyed seeing under the "Temple," or at least a part of it. I'd like to know more about, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" - especially when the statue no longer stands.
I don't think either Widmore or Ben are intended to be seen as the "good guy" in the traditional sense of it. there is something about their devotion to protecting the island that allows their consciences to do things we might consider unconscionable. This a war-like stance. Soldiers are often obligated to do things they would not ordinarily do as private citizens. They are not guilty because they are authorized to do those things as delegated arms of "the powers that be." Perhaps, this is why the Others (as well as many of the DI) are willing to take a life in the interest of Island security. Its a little like obsessive patriotism, in their minds.
Overall, I am not disappointed in the episode... except when it was over because it seemed like the hour melted away too quickly.
-R.
Oh yes I forgot the mention the new Losties, thanks for bringing that up. What the crap was that all about? "What lies in the shadow of the statue?"...eh? I think we prob all assume she's referring to the weird three-toed statue that may or may not be of a fertility god. But I wondered the same thing about them being "infected" by whatever got Danielle's crew and lover. That seemed completely out of no where that they became aggressive. Maybe there's another Dharma facility we don't know about where the statue used to be?
hmm not much life on here this week. Just FYI I had to record Lost tonight, so I'll post about the new episode after I get to watch it on Thursday.
Lats nights episode seemed a little slow to me, but that might only be due to distractions. Maybe I'll re-watch it to have it fresher in my memory when i come back to comment.
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